Crossed Between the Dark
by PipPepperPips
Summary: Princess Bubblegum almost sixteen years old finds she only has three years to ensure she is the perfect princess for the Kingdom. Growing up as royalty seems to have its luxuries, but with court elders breathing down her neck, it is no wonder she is wound up. But when she senses her royal right to knowledge is being undermined will she do something very un-princess like? (Bubbline)
1. Tunnel Vision

Chapter 1: Tunnel Vision

While almost all of the bright Candy Kingdom was fast asleep, their teenaged princess lay in bed gazing at the long, violet shadows reaching across her ceiling. She had fallen into a deep, unrelenting confusion and in her anxiety-fueled frustration could not sleep. She had not slept a wink all night and it was now at least tree or four in the morning. Either way she was exhausted, but could not get her mind off of the theories she had been building in her head.

What exactly was the object she had collected from deep in the castles tunnel, who had left it there and how long how long had it been hiding?

These questions had been buzzing in her mind since yesterday's early morning explorations. Peppermint Butler had come and woke her with news that the team in charge of remodeling some of the oldest parts of the castle had accidentally knocked out an unmarked corridor wall. The butler then informed her that the team had found various scraps of paper in the sugar stone bricks and wanted to know what should be done about them. The Princess of course needed to collect samples for her studies on the kingdoms history and to further her own investigation into the genetic make up of the candy land and beings around them. Sciencey stuff like that. She speedily told the peppermint man to notify the remodeling team that they could have the rest of the day off so she could go examine the artifacts and before giving him time to object, rushed to her lab to prepare. The peppermint sighed, adjusting his small, red bowtie and left to alert the workers of their day off, courteously of the princess herself.

Later, after she had readied herself in the proper excavating clothing and acquired the appropriate instruments (and also did a couple breathing exercises to calm her nerves), she ventured deep into the lower parts of the castle. This was a part of the castle she rarely visited for…reasons of her own, but now she understood why renovations were so desperately needed. Inwardly, she cursed herself for forgetting her flashlight because flickering candles overhead were the only source of light in the older parts of the palace. She knew that, but she had gotten so worked up about the trip and…glob what a stupid mistake. Distracted by the onslaught of worry, she had stumbled several times over the ancient rock candy floor, which now had been eroded in most areas. In an attempt to end the journey sooner the princess jogged forward in the dim light, but full-on tripped when her pink pack caused her to lose her footing. Alarmed the teen monarch yelped as she fell onto her hands and knees in the shadowy passage. Breathe hitched and in cold sweats she fumbled in the darkness trying to get a grip on the crumbling walls around her. After regaining her balance from the fall, she exhaled slowly wiped her forehead before continuing. Anxious and overwhelmed, she could not deny that these candy corridors freaked her out in more ways than one. Earlier she had not given Peppermint Butler the time to object for a reason, he would have easily gotten her to change her mind and would have put the excavation to a halt in no time. He knew her all too well.

"Suck it up…Just breathe, you're alright." firmly to herself in the dancing light of the flames. The girl wanted to concur this…childish fear. She was turning sixteen at close of this year, meaning that in only a little over three years she'd gain complete control over the political and social aspects of her realm. But besides that, it was not acceptable for the strong-willed teen to have such immature… worries about something so trivial as the more dark regions of the lower castle. No matter how poorly lit and tight the corridors were to maneuver through, she assured herself that her panicked reaction was just a physical response to the lack of light and had nothing to do with past scaring, childhood events…that may or may have not happened. The princess refused to acknowledge it any further.

As she stood trying to recapture her nerves, she adjusted her crown and opened her eyes to return to the task at hand. Calmly, she continued forward toward the next source of candlelight and this time was careful not to trip herself. When the girl had reached the light she pulled her bag from her back and set it on the dusty floor in front of her. After opening it, she removed a diagram of the lower regions of the castle. The yellow tinted map looked as old as the passage she stood in and most of it was so deteriorated and faded that it was illegible. She sighed, again rooting through her bag drawing out a device her own design. The head of the tool was a bright pink, cylinder handle and centered with a black switch, then gridded with a green glass square at the base; at first glance the object appeared as some sort of flashlight. Proud of herself she held the device under the thin parchment and flipped the black switch. The map glowed a radioactive hue casting bizarre shadows onto the crooked shingles in the tunnel, but also lightly revealed the maps hidden secrets. The monarchs expression changed to one of grinning victory, she only had to make a left just ahead and she'd be there. Picking up her backpack she continued on again. Finally she would be finished with this uncomfortable task that she had given to herself...Sometimes she really questioned her own logic.

After nervously rounding a corner the princess's plum colored eyes fell on a sizeable hole in the wall and the piles of dirt and rumble that surrounded it. Her anxiety almost completely dissipated after setting her sights on the gigantic mess. She would certainly have to speak to who ever was in charge of the renovations because this was definitely not the way to do it. The princess knew her obsessive-compulsive tendencies would kick in if she did not put her attention elsewhere. Shifting her concentration she focused on the smashed sugar bricks in front of her lilac boots. Bending down she went to work examining various fragments and taking samples in plastic containers becoming so zoned in on the scientific process that she thankfully forgot where she was. She continued in an almost mechanical manner until her fingers found a bit of sandy feeling paper. Holding it up to her face in the darkness she thought she might have seen something written on it. She found several more of these ripped pieces, collecting them in there own sample bags and deciding it was best to wait until she was in her laboratory to see exactly what they were. After at least two strenuous hours of digging through the ancient debris, the teen stood in accomplishment, but absolutely filthy despite her victory. She could feel the coco power dust layering her skin and the powered sugar dirt deep under her coral-pink nails.

Just as Bubblegum had stood and brushed the powder off her pastel shirt in motion to leave, she noticed something hanging out of the bottom of the gapping hole in the wall. Feeling a bit of the unease return to her mind she eyed at the object from a distance, but could not tell exactly what it was. It had only caught her attention because she thought she has seen something glitter out of the corner of her eye. With a groan, she climbed back over the rumble, damning her own curiously scientific nature, but also applauding her fear-tromping approach. As she reached the top of the pile she snatched the item, it was somewhat rough in places, but also cold and smooth in others. At first she pulled on the object lightly and it didn't budge; it must have been caught on something she thought as she pulled harder, but again to no avail. Finally figuring that she was not going to get it out in one piece she pulled once again, but this time threw all her weight back. She had not expected whatever it was attached with to snap so easily from that single tug and as a result of her miscalculations was sent rolling backwards down the hill of broken brick. This time the Princess actually screamed as she tumbled and landed flat on her back, knocking the wind right out of her. Just as she was about fly into a fit of hysterics she heard a loud shriek from up the hallway,

"Princess!" this was fallowed by a couple of shuffling feet that came to a stop near her now scraped face, "Are you alright Princess?"

"Yeah, yeah…I'm okay Peppermint. Why are you guys down here? I said I was not going to need any assistance…" the monarch questioned her voice shaking slightly while she stood clutching the small object tightly in her fist. Secretly she was tremendously thankful to have been interrupted from the frantic tears that might have ensued. She also knew she had banged herself up pretty bad with that fall, but spoke in a pleasant, calm voice to conceal her discomfort.

"Well…we were concerned about your safety being alone, you know in these tunnels for so long and- Princess! You are bleeding! For globs sake you are not ok, we must take you up to the infirmary now your majesty" He sputtered throwing his small red hands up in the air and then resting them on his sides in what could be described as motherly behavior.

"Ok, ok I agree with you. Let me just grab my backpack-"

"Princess please, Cinnamon Bun will attend to that while I escort you to the infirmary back up stairs." The small man stated firmly as he leaned down fetching the royal crown from the sandy floor, then taking the teen monarch by the arm to lead her back up the narrow hallways. It would seem strange to most that a butler could hold such power over a royal, but he had basically raised the girl so she felt deep regard for the candy and seldom went against his genuine wishes. She looked back only once to see the gooey bun collecting her backpack and bagged samples that littered the floor around him with a confused expression on his face.

The princess lay in bed under cream-colored sheets and a fuchsia comforter her body ached in restlessness. Her mind refused to stop wondering the diverse possibilities for the papers she'd recovered and the artifact she had found. After nurse Pound Cake had patched her up, Peppermint stated that he had, had her samples taken to her lab and she was not to research until a decent time the next morning. Little did he know that she had one of the most interesting items she had collected in her pant pocket. He then had sent her off to shower and get ready for a royal luncheon with the elder candy court. What fun.

Bubblegum sighed and sat up in bed looking to a round, purple clock that hung above her double doors directly across from her bed. It was almost three A.M.…not exactly decent. Then, looking to her left, her eyes met an open bathroom door. She could see it clearly through that lavender door on the bathroom counter, just barely reflecting the moons light off of its dulled edges. The princess adjusted her position bringing her feet to the fuzzy pink carpet and pushed her self off of the overly-soft bed. She made her way to the bathroom pushing the door open slowly, gazing at the metal object and running her fingers though her thick gummy hair.

"Snap out of it Bubblegum…It's probably nothing special." She said to herself before relinquishing her tired body back to her pastel purple pillows once again. "I just have to relax for now…" she murmured closing her eyes to fall into a restless sleep. What exactly was this T shaped symbol?


	2. My Research is Donked!

Chapter 2: My Research is Donked!

"Dirtballs! Oh firkin' dirtballs!" The chalk pink monarch cursed as she knocked a beaker of cobalt-hued chemical over her notes, which now lay strewn across her tan lab bench. This is what she gets for working off three hours of sleep. She had been in her lab since seven in the morning and had not accomplished much of anything since starting. All the attempts to see what had been printed on the old paper had failed. She was sure that the ink used must have been carbon metal based, which would held up better if it had not had gotten wet at some point. She also had deciphered the artifacts to be aged a little over thousand years old through the dirt around the items chemical make up. Her rubber-gloved hands trembled as she careful mopped up the blue mess that now soaked her findings. Being completely honest with herself she did not even recall what exactly the mixed solution contained, but she did know it was not inherently dangerous. Moving one of the soaked papers over to a dry part of the bench, she found that one of her samples had managed to get intermixed with her notes, meaning it was also now soaked…And blue.

After slewing numerous candy curses that any good citizen, let alone royalty should not speak or even know. She exhaled and swiftly moved the sample under her desk lap to let it dry out flat. Changing her focus back to the mopping motion of her hands Bubblegum tried not to get too disgruntled about the paper sample. She had at least three more so there was no need to get too upset. While being so focused on her own thoughts the teen did not notice that she had rubbed a large hole through the center of one of the pages of her notes, and when her gaze finally fell back down to the paper she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Everything's donked! My research is donked!" The princess blurted ripping her gloves off and throwing the rest of the papers off of the work bench in frustrated defeat, "Glob I can't do anything right today can I…"

As she finished her momentary tantrum she pushed her round glasses back up the bridge of her nose and adjusted the hair out of her face. She got up from her bench and moved toward a yellow recliner in the corner of her laboratory. She grabbed her notebook as she walked and reached in her lab coat pocket for a pen, but instead felt her fingers trace the mysterious T-shaped article. Sitting down, laying the notebook in her lap her rosy fingers pulled the item into the white fluorescent light. The object was almost completely orange from caked rust probably caused by water leaking down into the sugar walls, yet still held a kind of silvery sheen on the edges. Bubblegum pulled a small magnifying glass from her pocket and held it up to the little thing. She could not describe what made her reluctant to chemically test the charm, but something caused her to hesitate. Studying its surface she saw the outline of something that once was poorly soldered to the front of the lower case T shaped item.

"What the gumdrop is this thing…" she mused out-loud as she examined the end of the metal piece, where a small hole was, "…It does remind me of some kind of jewelry, I guess…" The princess shut her eyes a little discouraged, clenching her hands into fists and letting them drop onto the royal purple notebook in her lap. Yawning lengthily, she leaned her head back, sucking air in deeply and pursing her cheeks. After exhaling slowly, she realized her frustrations were probably a manifestation of her lack of sleep. Maybe it would do her some good to rest her eyes for just a few moments. Only several minutes after this thought had occurred to her the bubblegum girl was breathing lightly leaving her work to dry off on the titled floor.

Warm flickering lights sank into a blackness that closed in around her small figure. She tried to look down at the ground ahead of her, yet saw is nothing. Her breath was quick and her pulse through the roof. A low hissing noise coming from all around her filled the air making it impossible to breathe or hear. In a hysterical attempt, Bubblegum ran forward, but felt herself slowed down as though she were surrounded by water. Trapped in the darkness the hissing grew louder, she opened her mouth to scream, nothing came. Her body, heavy now through her struggle, pulled her lower and lower into the nothingness. Just as it felt as though she was going to hit the floor, she jolted awake in a panic. She woke in a chilled sweat, her notebook, magnified glass and the metal charm had fallen to the floor below.

" Glob…", Bubblegum groaned sitting up in the lounger, feeling a twinge of pain from the back of her neck, probably the result of yesterday's fall. She thought she was done with these bullgunk nightmares; she was too old for this nonsense now. Moving her hands to rub her eyes, she felt wetness beneath them. She pulled her hair and drew her knees into her chest, overwhelmed then by the anxiety and began to question her ability of ruling a kingdom if she could not get over something that had happened years ago. '_It's in the past and doesn't matter_' she told herself as the fabric of her white lab coat brushed her lips. She needed to move past the exaggerated memory. Every kid gets lost at least once when they're young, she assured herself, so why wasn't she over it?

"Ach, mein Glöb…" She muttered in German standing up. Disregarding the lightheaded feel she got, she found her way back to the light colored work desk. She had decided she would ignore her foolish worries until they disappeared on their own. Besides she had been strangely moody ever since her candy biomass had shifted. Getting older was already terrible, with each birthday her obligations grew. Crouching down under the bench she collected her now damp notes from the floor, its not that she had not worried before, but now it was excessive and over stupid things. Possibly it was because she had come to the realization of the great responsibility she held and the little control she felt in her life currently, the monarch pondered while moving to stand. . Stacking her transcripts back on the table, Bubblegum noticed something strange. Where she had left her ruined sample there was now nothing, but a blue tinted spot.

"Where'd that thing go…?" she whispered to herself looking to the ground and back to the blue stain "What the flip?" The princess uttered as she noticed the liquids avoidance of certain tinny spots on the table. Suddenly getting an idea, she rushed to the counter across the room and after rooting through her backpack pulled the same device she used on the map. Basically skipping with new found energy back to the table, Bubblegum clapped her hands causing the overhead lights to switch off and turned the only remaining desk lamp off as well. Shortly after the room had fallen dark there was quiet click and the laboratory bench lit up with the same radioactive shade. Resting the device on the table letters seemed to magically appear across its surface as a brighter color of lime.

"Raw Moorhsum Eht…" The royal sounded out with a perplexed look at the odd words, "Oh gumballs, it printed backwards onto the table…'The Mushroom War' hmm." The name sounded familiar, but she could not recall from where. Reading further the letters continued.

"-mbs never stop falling now that The Mushroom War is in ful-" and the rest was cut off. The teens enthusiastic expression went flat as she reached to flip the tools switch off. The room fell black again as the princess sighed clapping her hands causing the fluorescents to flutter back on. From her seat at the laboratory bench she jotted down what she had read and started to set up the area she would use to research the other collected pieces. She set down a large sheet of white plastic and laid each of the dirty and seemly blank fragments across it, evenly spaced of course, and grabbing the beaker containing what was left of the cobalt solution she uniformly dispersed it onto each sample. She knew she would lose the papers physically, but also could not think of a better way to reveal the lettering. Standing, she moved her desk lamp to adjust its neck so that the bulb was directly above the middle sample. Smiling to herself she flipped the switch turning the light on, some of the mechanical motions of experiments really relaxed her. The new relaxed state had momentary helped her to forget her nightmare-induced mood.

Bubblegum had straightened up her lab, picking up her notebook and magnified glass setting them on her laboratory bench and now stood ready to leave next to the orange door. Hanging her coat on a hook adjacent to the door she reached to turn the mint handle, but a glint caught her eye. The metal rusted charm lay just under the recliners footrest. The princess jumped quickly to retrieve the article and left her lab, clapping her hands as the door shut. Opening her pink palm, her eyes lowered down to the rusted charm once the door had shut behind her.

"A thousand years old…"


	3. A Royal Censorship

Chapter 3: A Royal Censorship

"Hmm...I'm sure this is supposed to read, society has crumbled and the only food left is candy, but I don't see how that could be a bad thing" Bubblegum mused then continued reading the next note out loud, "Sick are vomiting and have bad radi- Hm.." The pink haired girl hummed, again standing in her dark lab the green glow creating a small space of light. The white plastic board was now hung on the navy colored wall with two pastel pushpins and its surface lit with the emerald beam. Jotting down descriptions, theories and her personal opinions she pressed the cool metal pen to her lip.

"-edged the fact that I will not see the sun rise another...How can there be no records of this horrific event?" Bubblegum questioned the neat writings she held in her small hands. It was true. She had gone the night before after leaving the lab and had scoured all the dusty shelves of the historical section in the royal library finding that there was not a single volume about a Mushroom War, not even a passage mentioned the words war and mushrooms together. Scratching her head she glared down at her reports frowning. This made absolutely no sense. If there really was a war that was devastating enough to destroy social order she should have reviewed it with her royal tutors long ago. Finishing her writing she clapped her pink hands together bringing the overhead lights back on. The teen set her notepad down onto the counters behind the bench and flipped the black switch turning the reader off as well. She then stretched her arms above her head, exhaled loudly only to have a gurgle from her stomach join in, suddenly remembering she had not eaten breakfast or lunch today. She was surprised the small mint man had scolded her yet. She had blown him off this morning refusing to take brunch with the elders probably leaving him in an awkward situation. She really did care about him and normally would have gone, but she had more interesting things to attend to then old candies that were just going to criticize her manner. Reaching for her lab pocket she pulled forth the rusted charm, studying it. Was carrying this thing becoming a habit? She was unsure, but knew she desperately wanted…needed to know what the item's purpose was. Just as she was holding the small thing to the light, there was a short knock and door inched open.

"Princess, I am sorry for the intrusion, but you must eat at some point today. I have had the chief prepare your favorite spaghetti with a candy tomato sauce, so please let me accompany you to the royal dinning room." The small man pleaded firmly. Smiling softly the princess again slipped the rusted piece into her pocket and turned to look at the blue suited man. Was it possible he knew anything about the Mushroom War and this charm? He was much older than herself, or so she believed at least.

"Of course Peps, but you must join me. I have some questions about the samples I've collected and think you might know more than I," She said sliding the white coat from her shoulders and reaching up to undo the loose bun on her head.

"Ah of course Princess, I would be delighted to assist you in your studies." He replied taking the coat from the girl's hands and replacing it with her crown adorned with a cloudy, aquamarine jewel. She placed the gold crown atop her head after adjusting her bangs and smoothing out the wrinkles in her long magenta gown. The butler was already holding the door open waiting for the princess to finish. Striding towards the doors, the princess relaxed, but just as she walked out and the doors had been shut, she realized the charm was still in her lab coat. Immediately pushing the door back open, she reached into the coat hanging next to the doorframe and grabbed the rusted thing.

"Sorry! Ha! Forgot something! Now we can go," The teen laughed nervously turning her gaze away from the small butler and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ah, very well Princess. Come now your dinner will get cold soon." He piped raising an eyebrow, leading the way up the soft yellow passageway. Bubblegum walked behind him looking down at candy purple floors, naturally knowing where to go without looking ahead. It was feasible that there was no information about the war because it was at least thousand years ago and if the pink girl really thought about she hadn't read anything dating back that far. The furthest back she read about was reports on the lineage of the candy royals, like her Uncle Gumbald who was at least five hundred years old when he choose to pass on (actually only this last year). This record even was unclear though, with its missing dates and names and the fact it only went back seven hundred years. She had dismissed this as poor organization skills, but what else was she to do? She was only ten when researching this and besides that, her Uncle Gumbald was an extremely ill tempered man, so asking him was out of the question then. Rubbing the charm between her fingers she abruptly thought of a different grimmer possibility — a royal censorship. It was conceivable that the elders or even the Gumball Guardians were covering something up from specifically her for control purposes. They were also older then stale gumballs, but what would they really have to hide from her?

The Princess entered the archway as Peppermint bowed, allowing her passage first and then continued walking behind her. The small candy pulled the tall ornate chair out at the head of the table for the young monarch to take her seat and after sat in a smaller chair next to her. Another candy, appearing almost instantly after they sat brought the piping hot plate of pasta out and set it down on a lavish, white placemat in front of her, while another server came around from behind, pouring a kind of sparkling water into both the butler and the princess's crystal goblets. She slid the rusted item in her dress pocket before reaching for the silver fork.

"What is the Mushroom War?" The teen spoke taking at bite of her noodles after the two other hard candies had left. The sunset light bathed the room in an orange sherbet glow.

"Ex-Excuse me?" The butler sputtered, choking on his water in surprise.

"Why haven't I heard of the Mushroom Wars is probably a better question," prompted the bubblegum princess with an almost rebellious tone. The room fell silent as the butler shifted in his candy cane seat, trying to produce the correct response.

"Oh well, you majesty, I should not be the one to discus such...matters with you. Perhaps go to the elders about this?" spoke the white faced candy uncertainly.

"Peps come on, be serious with me. I'm fifteen years-old now and will be turning sixteen in just a few months, I should know the history of my own land," Bubblegum declared somewhat harshly. This was silly. It happened over a millennium ago, she was sure it could not be much of a problem now…Could it?

"Princess may we discus this after you eat your dinner while I escort you to your bedroom?" he suggested, obliviously shaken as he nervously glanced around the large room as if to ease his worry

"Ok, but then I want to know what's going on." The royal said, softly going back to her food that did not taste quite as good as it normally did.

After the pair had made their way through several yellow hallways passing many sweetly colored doors and window panes, finally they found themselves in front of an aged elevator. The machine was encased in cream-colored wafers, white chocolate doors and above surrounded by a red liquorish cage stretching far up onto almost all the candy palace floors. Peppermint strode forward opening the doors manually, ignoring the shining butterscotch buttons and then stepping to the side allow the monarch to enter the box first. Walking into the small square he turned closing the seemingly light doors and pressed the sapphire toned button for the top floor.

"So, Princess, where did you hear about The Mushroom Wars?" He said his voice almost flat.

"On the papers from the lower regions of the castle. Why aren't I supposed to know about this?" The princess demanded, looking at the back of his small suit.

"Princess, there are many things you are unaware of in the Land Ooo and the world in general. It was not my decision to keep this knowledge from you. I could lose my position in the kingdom by divulging such information. Do you understand?" The mint spoke still facing the corner making no attempt for eye-contact with the girl he had helped raise. Her pink gummy hair stood on end. This must be huge if it was being so desperately concealed from her.

"Pep…" The Princess faltered, "If I cannot ask you, where can I find information to figure this out?" she asked with urgency, gripping at the tarnished charm again and swallowing hard. There was a lingering silence after the ring of the top floor sounded, she stepped out of the elevator and turned to look at the proper butler. Her uncertain eyes were met with the mints serious expression and tense stance,

"Third bookshelf on the left in the very back of the royal library, its on the very top shelf. It's a small brown book." He spoke as the chocolate doors shut, leaving the young princess reeling.


	4. Through Candy Walls

Chapter 4: Through Candy Walls

"What the cabbage am I getting myself into?" Bubblegum murmured to herself as she crept through the dim halls of the slumbering castle. She carried a hefty purple pack on her back, wearing tight fitting violet pants and a dark magenta hoodie. Earlier that night after going to the royal archive, she had gone to her lab collecting only small devices and a few notes, then back to her chamber where she packed essential clothing items and toilettes. She had purposely left the royal crown sitting on a pillow atop her bed with a note hastily written to the candy citizens. The note told that something of great importance had come to her attention and needed to be addressed. It explained that she apologized for having to leave in this manner, but it was something she needed to do on her own before she could rule this kingdom. It was her responsibility to understand the past in order to properly rule the future, she believed. It stated she would be back and not to worry. Peppermint would probably lose his sugar cubes when he'd come with her morning tea and send the message immediately to the elders, who would in turn, fallowing procedure, would send an alert of her disappearance across the Land of Ooo. The pink teen knew this was not exactly the best or most intelligent approach to the situation, but also knew she might not ever find answers if she did not leave now.

The moon's gleam fell through each window Bubblegum passed creating small spaces of light on the palace floor. She moved quickly, but stealthily down a flight of stairs stopping at its end to ensure no one was coming. Nervously she wiped her brow pushing her gummy locks from her eyes, she had never left the Kingdom walls unattended. She held a small leather bound book to her chest as she silently panted. Her reason for her sudden departure was ridiculous and lacked logic, but she felt there had to be something to it if her faithful butler had revealed it to her.

The princesses stood expressionless for a long while after the peppermint man had departed. Slowly she collected her self and turned to walk down the high arched corridor. She was in some sort of strange calm and for once was having trouble forming logical thoughts. Reaching her door, she clasped the hard-candy nob and found herself unable to turn it. Snapping, the pink teen suddenly bolted down the hallway past the elevator to spiraling staircase. Holding tight to its candy cane rails she sprinted down, almost falling several times. She needed to know what was in that book. With her excitement building, the monarch continued hastily down two others just as she had the first, but as she exited the second to last staircase, she slammed hard against something. Catching herself on the sugar walls to avoid falling, her plum eyes met a pair of harsh ruby ones. An elder apart of the royal court stood stiff with a grim expression, her back bent and crooked from age. This court member had once been a vibrantly blue colored lollipop, but now was slightly grey and stern in manner.

Princess Bonnibel, watch your manner, you could've incapacitated me. What sort of princess foolishly runs about her kingdom? Humph, ungrateful child. All the royal guidance we give you is going to such waste..." The old woman sneered, leaning against her red striped cane and glaring sourly at the young ruler, "Where are you running off to at this hour? It's bad enough that incompetent butler of yours allows you to occupy that laboratory all day."

The sweating princess had to stifle the negative words that wanted to pour out of her mouth and forced a painful smile at the older candy.

"Oh, I apologize Duchess. I was in a hurry to get down to the royal library because…uh, I forgot my handkerchief." she sputtered, blushing and ringing her hands together. She was an absolutely terrible liar, but continued nonetheless, "You know you said a lady should never be caught without one."

"That is correct…" the ancient candy spoke eyeing the teen suspiciously, "Well…continue your pursuit in a more lady-like manner. Goodnight Bonnibel." She spat dropping the princess's title and turning back to her slow and agonizing march up the sugar stone stairs. The pink monarch was fuming, who did she think she was that old, stale patoot? She resumed her pace down the next flight of stairs not looking back at the elder whatsoever. That stale candy would have to respect her when she turned eighteen, but for now it was not worth the fight. Disregarding her  
annoyance, she stepped off the final step and found herself in an unlit hall; she could feel her pulse rising again. They had turned the lights off on this floor because generally no one used it after six (besides herself when she snuck down). Stretching her hand to graze the walls edge she guided herself to the towering, medieval styled dark chocolate doors that stood just up the candy walkway. Urgently pressing against one of the doors, it creaked open with a low whine, and the girl peaked in.

The large room was filled with soft moonlight that traveled in waves over each of bookcases making shadowy caves in between them. High arching ceilings reflected light onto the swirling mint floor, chocolate tables and blown sugar vases. She always had loved this library. It was her a refuge of safety- well at least before she had the lab. When her royal tutors or even the court were cruel to her she'd escape here to hide, reading whatever she could distract herself with. She sighed noiselessly, having no time to reminisce and admire its beauty, the princess entered the grand room, closed the squeaking door behind her and immediately headed for the back shelves that faced the windows. She noted the largeness of the golden moon, attributing it to the lunar cycles she had studied recently. Rolling a ridiculously elevated library ladder to her desired shelf, she scaled up its sturdy steps. Once she had reached the top shelf, she noted it was covered with a thick layer of dust and weighted with dense, antique books. Her shadow created a long stripe of darkness below her leaking down the chocolate bookcases facing the lofty mullion windows. Precariously balancing on the edge of the second step from the top, her gaze moved steadily up the pile of volumes catching view of a small leather bound book placed at the top. Almost slipping from her fervor, she shivered as she seized the little book and practically slid back down the candy cane ladder. The Princess sat down eagerly on the windows edge and went to open the first page of the book. Pausing, she stared down at the sun bleached cover, her expression grew tense.

"A book of poems…" The pink monarch muttered her face faltering with a bewildered expression, "How much information could I truly gain from a book of poems…" Opening the album, she realized it was hand written and in an extremely fragile state, baring water stained pages and cracking glue binding. Turning from the first illegible page, which appeared to be a letter of some sort the rosy monarch found the first poems title.

"Mushroom Clouds…" She whispered shudders running up her spine as she continued to read.

Bubblegum had finally escaped the expansive palace undetected out of a floor leveled window and now waited in the shadows of a royal storehouse. Breathing heavily, she held the volume of poems to her chest. She was waiting for a chance to slip into the wagon of candy fruit that she knew was being shipped out of the kingdom; she'd checked the schedule that hung just on the bordering wall to be in-time. She had already slipped her pack into the filled carriage to assure the shift in weight would not be completely noticeable. The monarchs could hear her heart beat in her ears as a cherry gumdrop walked directly in front of her, unaware of her presence. She noted that whenever she arrived back from this expedition she would really need to invest in some kind of security cameras for the castles facilities, if it was this easy for an young girl such as herself to slip in and out. After shortly inspecting each of the wheels and taking a candy apple from the bunch, the carter hopped into the drivers seat behind the taffy horses. It was then that Princess Bubblegum took her chance, swiftly and silently jumping into the back of the wagons covered load. Somehow the gumdrop did not notice the larger then calculated sift in weight. Maybe this candy citizen was just especially oblivious. Apples stems prodded one of her eyes and sides as she adjusted herself into a laying position in the back of the now slowly moving cart. It was terribly uncomfortable, but she knew it was the only logical way out of the kingdom without being discovered. A tan tarp lay over her and the red fruit as she rested the ancient book on her chest, reaching for her hoodies pocket. Feeling the familiar roughness of the metal charm she breathed somewhat easier. As the fruit stirred against her body with the movement of the cart, she grew certain that she would find the answers she needed outside the kingdom's candy walls.


	5. Carted Emotions

Chapter 5: Carted Emotions

The small wagon rattled over the candy cobblestone street while Bubblegum lay unmoving, unconsciously holding her breath. She should not be caught by this point; it would be unusual for the yellow guards to check a food-trading vessel…it would be unusual for them to do their job right, actually. They were not the best law enforcement team, but they put forth their best effort and that's all that truly mattered to the princess, (okay, so maybe she'd tweak some of the training modules after reaching eighteen)

Still holding the rusted metal in her perspiring fingers she felt a bump of the chart tilting onto what she was sure was the sweetbread drawbridge. She heard an exchange of words between the driver and the night-shift gatekeeper before she felt another thump of the front wheels leaving the bridge. She held her breath and braced her body under the thin tarp. As the back wheels fallowed suit, the sound of the pretzel gates crunching into the ground caught her attention. She was really parting from the safety of the thick sugar walls, leaving her important studies and her beloved citizens, but it was all for the greater good wasn't it? She assured herself that she would be back in no time, hopefully before her sixteenth birthday and with the new found knowledge she'd possess the court elders would have no choice, but to listen to her. Her opinions would matter.

An hour had passed and Bonnibel had grown fidgety, she was thrilled and petrified to be leaving the kingdom unattended. She never even been out of the castle without an attendant, she was always escorted by either the silly guards, Peppermint or glob forgive one of the candy elders. Logically it was ridiculously unfound behavior on the courts part, no candy inhabitant wished her any harm and before this she had never attempted to leave the Kingdoms walls alone. She even was not permitted to have guests without an attendant present. The pink teen felt her face burn below the cover, it was just madding and even now when she was away from it, it still made her blood boil. She remembered once waiting an entire week after submitting a hefty amount of royal documents requesting the permission for her close friend Lady Rainicorn's allowance into her bedroom chambers, unattended of course, only to have it denied. When she went to the elders to inquire her requests rejection, she was harshly told not to question their evaluations and that she was too undeveloped and reckless to comprehend their reason. They also stated that they had been notified from one of the more reliable guards that Lady was speaking of inappropriate adult matters and it was taking a negative effect on the attitude of the monarch. She remembered how she had left the court mutely after that statement to avoid screaming at them, she pressed the corroded charm tightly in her palm. Adult matters? All they had ever spoken about was Bubblegum's studies and Lady's life in the outside world (she did not even begin to wonder who else understood Korean). Well now she had the chance to see it, without her guardians donking everything up like every other trip she had taken outside the kingdom. The hot air and aggravating bouncing apples did nothing to cool her mood. She forcefully pushed the thought from her mind, relaxing, that was all behind her now, literally.

The cart continued a rattling course into the Cotton Candy Forest on an empty dirt path over rocks and indentations in the ground. The bubblegum princess, letting the charm loose in her pocket and setting the book aside, turned onto her stomach to peak out from under the scratchy cover. Observing the white tree trunks rolling by slowly, she relaxed further, remising of a time spent with her dear Peppermint. The pink monarch pulled herself under the cover and once again, adjusting the placement of many candy apples and turned to rest on her back. One of the earliest memories she possessed was of this same pink treed forest. Her hands were much smaller then, about the size of the peppermint man's now and her height also about the same as his. She recalled sitting in a tiny graham cracker wagon next to small sugar weaved basket while the butler carted them through the kingdom. Recalling her amazement at the height of the large yellow and pink walls, she smiled to herself she knew nothing then. After passing the banana's who swooned at her childlike charm, they had made their way over the drawbridge. She remembered the peppermint stopping at the edge of the candy trees. He told her to close her eyes, making her promise not to peak and after a few seemingly endless moments she was allowed to look. Having opened her eyes she saw her favorite candy snacks and storybooks laid out in front of her. She silently chuckled to herself at the thought of her reading fictional books (with pictures). She was sure it was her first picnic outside of the walls and she recalled being astonished, but also a bit frightened by the openness of the surrounding fields. She remembered Peppermint had taken her hand helping her step from the small wagon and then they had spent the rest of the day in story time, enjoying the food he had packed. Bubblegum picked up the frail book at her side squeezing it to her chest. This was a memory she was extremely fond of and would never forget.

She felt a pang of guilt in her ribcage for her sudden unannounced departure, but she knew Peps would understand. He knew her better then anyone else. The Princess could see the large gold moon floating above her through the thin covering and listened to the groaning of the shifting broads beneath her. Though the small candy would probably worry insistently until her arrival back. The pink adolescent's guilt remained heavy. He was the only royal staff member who understood her enough to really care about her. The mint had always been the one to ensure that her feelings were taken into account, while the rest of the court seemed to care less about the heart of a young princess. They expected her to be perfect, even at that undeveloped age.

Bubblegum grimaced at the early recollections of her cruel etiquette tutors and the impatient court (for being made out of sugar, many were quiet bitter). She was not to show expressive emotion, which included loud laughing and really any crying. Her manner was to remain calm, she was to smile gently at her subjects and express herself in a soft voice, if at all. Around her candy citizens she was to disperse the appropriate balance of affection and discipline that was needed for her people to view her as a true royal, yet she found that she often would come unhinged when alone with the butler. As a young child she usually she would only throw her greatest unfiltered tantrums when she would request something ridiculous of the mint and he would obviously decline. The young princess would explode, all of her bottled emotions coming out at once, throwing herself on the hard castle floor shrieking, flailing and crying. The butler would wait calmly, for the gummy child to stop thrashing and kneel down next to her patting her back in silent understanding. He would never ask anything of the gum girl, he would always wait for her to speak to him for he knew many asked much of her already.

Signing the princess brushed her locks from her face. She had always felt so confined in her personhood and responsibilities to the kingdom, but now she had the opportunity to act as she wanted, without fear of being judged or scolded by that soured candy court. She truly wanted to feel relieved and should have now, but yet again anxiety danced back into her mind. Bubblegum felt an unease settling into her stomach, did she really leave her candy friends and realm to find answers about The Mushroom War or was it for her own selfish reasons?

The wagon sluggishly moved over grassy hills, now out of the forest creaking under the violet night sky; unknowingly carrying not only a great deal of apples, but also a heavily conflicted teen monarch.


	6. A Short-Lived Arrival

Chapter 6: A Short-Lived Arrival

Three extensive hours had passed and Bonnibel had moved to her stomach to watch the land stream by out of boredom and discomfort from resting on her back. The wooden panels below her groaned with each bump and had pinched her several times. Her gum skin would surely be littered with small purple bruises later. She stifled a yelp as she was pinched again on her stomach and attempted to focus on the land around her. Much like an ocean the hills of grass caused a wave like effect on the cart, swaying the apples and the princess in a bobbing motion. The land stretching endlessly around her was bathed in fiery rose light marking the beginning of dawn. Excitedly the princess beamed into her arms, it was more breathtaking then Lady had described it.

There so much she could study in the fields alone she mused as she looked down to her pink wristwatch. It was almost six AM meaning the drop off zone was approaching. She had little over twenty minutes to ready herself for her hasty departure from the back of the candy-apple wagon. Rolling onto her back under the cover once again, she snatched two apples throwing them into her bulky pack. She then slipped her right arm through one of the straps and held the book in that same arm. Waiting uncertainly for the vessels halt, the monarch listened to the whining of the wheels beneath her slowing. She heard what sounded like the cart traveling over a wooden bridge and readied herself, readying herself into a low, crouching position.

The wagon lurched to a stop and stood still for several moments before Bubblegum feeling a sense of urgency threw her hood up, grabbing the book and hooking her bag around her left arm. Feeling a shift in weight toward the front, the pink girl stood abruptly, jumping from the side of the cart and sprinting toward town. She did not look back to the yelling of the candy deliveryman and gripping the volume close to her chest continued her pace into the early thriving town. Running past many tall beings wearing straw hats and carrying gardening tools or leading animals, she quickly realized she was not being pursued. After slowing her step she walked through the village, taking in the different sights and reading various signs to see if any would be of aid to her. The lofty buildings had white-wash sides and simple, matching wooden doors, roofs and windows. The adult beings that inhabited the town were all at least seven feet tall, had a green hue to their skin and most had oak brown hair, making the bright pink teen stand out like a sore thumb. The streets were not crowded, but also were not empty, lightly inhabited that morning. She avoided walking next to anyone by ducking into alleys when  
possible; the escapee did not want any unnecessary conflict from her appearance.

Wondering why the town was so active at this time of the morning, the pink haired girl looked to several different banners, all reading in large olive letters: 'Harvest Festival Week'. Bubblegum figured from this, that these people wanted a jump-start on the reaping of their own crops and trade with neighboring villages. Wandering aimless around another street corner, her heart leapt after reading a bold sign that said 'Produce Library'. Half of the sun that had risen to peak between the white houses, lighting the windows of the library and giving them a blinding orange glare. The girl made her way to the unadorned door, pushing it open and revealing to herself a tall, but little timber room with two old, chipped desks and five back-to-back bookshelves. Holding an expression of charmed curiosity, she entered the small establishment and was met with an welcoming voice,

"Ah mornin' to ya, what may I be helpin' ya with Miss?", an tremendously lanky, old male inquired standing from a hunched position behind a cart of books, his expression wavering after noticing the teens peculiar appearance.

"Yes I would like to see, if possible, a map?" The bubblegum girl asked her cheeks burning. While she was expected to chat with fellow royals from other kingdoms, she really was not used to social interactions with non-candy folk.

"Mhm, ya mean of trade routes, right?" The man said removing his hat and scratching his bald dome. The princess nodded, smiling appreciatively as the old man left behind the red curtain that separated a back room. Inwardly panicking because of the suspicious look he had given her, she fidgeted. Shifting her feet and holding the volume of poems closer to herself, she fretfully touched the charm in her pocket. She would be ok, if anything happened she would just make a run for it out of this town and hide for a while. Just as the teen had started to physically sweat from nerves, the old man came handing her a rolled up scroll and smiled offering her a chair at one of shaky looking desks. After taking her seat the elderly man went back to sorting the books on his cart, leaving the princess to her delight, alone.

Opening her bag she pulled out her royal purple note pad and matching pen and as she unrolled the scroll, she thankfully noted that it contained most of the lands leading north to the Ice Kingdom and south to the Fire Kingdom. After laying all of this in front of herself she cautiously opened the poem book back to its first page. The poem entitled 'Mushroom Clouds' read:

Over the mountain, the ominous cloud,

Coming to cover the land in a shroud

Hide in a bush, a basement, a cave,

But when cloud comes a-huntin' no one is safe

Next to this passage, were several scratched notes, noting something about the tallest mountains being north, holding a hidden truth and the rest unreadable. She would have taken her green-light reading device out, but was sure that would appear pretty unusual, and her being pink already stood out enough. The princess looked down to the map, noting where some of the greatest mountains were located. From her understanding of it, logic told her that the mountain being referred to must rest in either the Ice Kingdom or the Mountain Kingdom, which were both close neighbors of the Candy Kingdom. Oh, gumdrops. How was she going to do this? She had never been to the Ice Kingdom because the elders alleged that no royal reigned there, but instead a mad wizard. Though coming from those stale gumballs, she was sure he was just eccentric or a forward thinker. What madness! A King that wants to use solar panels to light his kingdom! What a threat.

Sighing the pink teen rolled her eyes and tucked a fallen lock of hair back into her hood. Bubblegum was well aware of the fact that if she just waltzed straight into the Mountain Kingdom she would be found immediately and shipped like run away child back to her palace mostly likely to be locked in her chambers until her coronation. Making notes of both locations and trying her best to essentially copy down the entire map exactly as she saw it, she sat furiously working for two hours. After a long period of silent thought she decided on a lengthier route through the Grasslands to reach the Ice Kingdom before even considering the Mountain Kingdom. The monarch's logic behind it was simple: she was sure that if anyone, at least anyone from the Candy Kingdom, was trying to track her they would not suspect her to take a more strenuous path. She was only a frail princess after all.

The Princess had not gotten the chance to read anything else from the poetry journal because of her hasty decision to depart last night, which now sounds absolutely outrageous, but it just felt like the right thing to do. Just as she about to page gently though the volume, she glanced up catching view of a large yellow banana man through the cloudy library window. Panicking, she cursed herself inwardly for being such a poo-brain and shoved her notepad, pen and the volume into her bag, leaving the map resting on the chipped table. Zipping the pack she stood throwing it over her shoulders and moved toward the back of the tinny, dusty room.

"Excuse me Sir, I know you do not know me and therefore have no reason to assist me, but please do you have a back entrance I may use?" Bonnibel asked not even bothering to attempt to disguise the distressed tone in her voice. She stared down at the kneeling aged man, who had stopped his book sorting to respond to her request.

"Ah, need a quick escape do ya?" The man spoke playfully winking at the pink panicky girl, "See the red curtain on that back wall? Well behind that is the storage room and there you'll find what you need." He smiled returning to his book cataloging.

Bubblegum bolted from the book area pausing at the velvet curtain to thank the man and passed swiftly into the next room where she easily spotted another door. Flinging open the wooden exist, she found herself facing a mud-stained alley wall. Shutting the door as quietly as she could, she silently jogged north up the alleyway. As she moved in a hasty pace she questioned whether she would meet any other individuals in her travel that would be as kind to her. She wondered what had prompted him to help her, but that string of thought was cut after turning a corner to face a stretched orchard at the alley's end.

"Thank glob…" The Princess whispered as she disappeared between the close nit valley of lush pears tree, clutching the metal in her pocket securely.


	7. Hungry Wonderings

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait :3 Here's the next chapter! Marceline should be making an appearance sometime in the near future! Sorry if it seems a little slow, but I think it'll make a better build up. So I hope for reviews and for you guys to stick around to see what happens! :D**

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Darkness contrasted Princess Bubblegum's pink skin as it contorted, tightening around her. She felt as though she was watching herself this time, knowing full well what would happen next, yet having no control. She saw her self, but appeared younger and much smaller. The child figure sunk down to her knees, curling into a tense ball on the rock candy floor. Visibly shaking her past self cried soundlessly in the void engulfing her. The princess knowing what she dreaded most anticipated the silence sharpening its notes into something terrible. Seeming to leak from the darkness the low hissing rung in her ears. Panic set in as the sound endlessly buzzed in her mind. Trying to change the seemly permanent strand of events, the princess forced her mouth open to yell. Cracking open her eyes she found her self gazing into a night sky through spaces between thickly veined leaves.

Sitting up abruptly Bonnibel whipped her head around, looking in all directions. She had, for a moment, forgotten where she was and all about her impulsive departure; she really had expected wake to familiar pastel walls that she'd woken to so many times before. So when she was confronted rather by countless pear trees, a disorientated shock struck her before reality settled back in; she obviously had not intentionally fallen asleep. The pink monarch remembered reaching the middle of the plantation before settling down into a shallow draining ditch running along the dense trees. It seemed like the safest place to await sundown. She recalled being out breath and over come with anxiety from her narrow escape. Desperately she had tried to keep awake in the cool trench, but eventually had succumbed to her stress-induced exhaustion.

The leaves murmured with a warm breeze breaking the still silence in the tree-enclosed area. Relieving the tension she felt in her back, she stretched to rub her eyes and found them damp. Flashes of her nightmare spilt into her mind turning her stomach into a pit of knots. Sugar cubes. Darn sugar frickin' cubes. The princess stood hurriedly as if she could leave her unwanted feelings on the ground. Turning she glanced down at the spot she had just occupied. The tarnished t-shaped metal sat lightly coated with dust. Her gaze remained focused on the ancient charm as she gathered her heavy pack, hooking it tightly around her shoulders. Bending down she gently scooped it up in her sandy palm and gripped it reassuringly. Dismissing her dream completely she breathed deeply. Time to move forward. She could no longer linger in fear, she really had not the time or the energy.

Pushing past her tight chest, she decided that night travel was the only intelligent option (seeing as her incredulous amount of pink stood out so prominently amongst the green scenery) and gathered herself in several deep breaths. Bubblegum's feet brushed the yellow dirt into a fine cloud as she stepped out from the narrow channel. The low hanging leaves caressed her cheek casting her gaze into the trees upper limbs. Two pears suspended on a somewhat reachable branch caught her attention. Gingerly slipping the metal charm into her hoodie pocket she jumped, stretching her fingers and palms wide. In her first attempt to grab the green fruits she only grazed them lightly with the tips of her chalky fingers, but with the second try she had both with one jump. This sort of produce was considered junk food in her kingdom due to its non-candy bio structure, but any sugar was better then nothing. Unhooking a single strap from her shoulder she swung the pack to her front and unzipped its main pocket unceremoniously tossing both pears in. She knew stealing was always wrong, but the farming town surely would not miss just two small pears that were not even in season. A soft gurgling growl came from the girl's midsection causing her to pause. Hunger curled up and around her insides squeezing in an uncomfortable pulse. Exhaling the princess groped deep into the bags depths searching for a smooth round surface. Digits finally finding what they sought pulled forth a ruby candy apple. The princess's mouth watered as she hooked her arm back through the thin strap and adjusted the pack back into its proper position. There was only one candy apple left and two unripe pears. Not at all enough for her to travel comfortably across the grasslands, but it would have to last her at least the next three evenings. It was then that she would stop to restock at next farming town on the chart's route. She would again have to raid a stranger's garden at the new location, who knew traveling would entail so much stealing. The princess really was not at fault, she had no money of her own. The candy elders always had forbid her to hold common currency because she was of royal blood. She was told her noble blood entitled her to whatever she desired, that is if it was appropriate for a princess to want.

Taking a large bite into the shell of the apple, she relished the fresh tasting sweetness that filled her mouth. Bubblegum stepped forward into the murky darkness of the inky blue shadows moving swiftly. Her surroundings were silent, amplifying even the slightest rustle of her rushed feet and the clicking of her teeth to an uncomfortable level. While the girl did have a flashlight in her pack she thought it foolish to use because if anyone or anything was around it would lead them straight to her. Finishing the last bite of apple she gripped the sticky core tightly in her palm as she quickened her pace away from the farming town. Small, dark seeds dug into her hands center as her hold on the finished fruit grew stronger. She was afraid to leave it behind as evidence of her presence, too cautious of getting caught. The princess glimpsed down at the hands on her round pink watch and quickened her speed to a slow run. She needed to get the plop out of this town, it was almost two in the morning now leaving her little time to escape from any candy guards that may or may not be waiting near by.

Coming to the end of the stretched rows of pear trees she found her self confronted with another contrasting group of unorganized, wild dark wood trees. Pausing, she stared from the intense blackness that seemed to emanate from the forests mouth to the east, where the emptiness of endless rolling hills lit by a wide, golden moon stood. Seeming to bounce on the pads of her feet she looked apprehensively from the conflicting landscapes to her watch and back again. It looked unsafe and it was not marked on the map, but she knew she would be unable to reach the next safe zone in the short hours before dawn over the vast, green lands. Finally picking her poison, Bubblegum ventured north into the bold black outline of the intimidating wood.

Branches caught on her coat's hood and scratched her exposed flesh, causing her to drop the candy apple core. She was uncomfortable leaving it, but in the tangled wood it would be impossible to recover without a lengthy search which she had no time for. The brush surrounding the princess caught on to her lose clothing, forcing her to stop several times to unhook it from the clingy twigs. She could not see more then a foot in front of her and was surprised she had not tripped yet. Fishing into her pocket, she let her fingers graze the rusted metal; her heart beat in an unsettlingly fast manner. This place was not pleasant like the candy world she was accustomed to. It smelt like filthy rainwater, musty like the time she had experimented with bathwater which had had been left to sit for a week. Peps was not pleased when he found the mess. Momentarily, she felt some relief as she thought of her experiments and the peppermint man, but all too rapidly she remembered where she was and what she had gotten herself into. This place was much too dim and lacked the sweet colors and smells she was used to. It was a coldness she could not seem to shake no matter what comforting thought came to mind. Taking large, slow steps, she held her arms out in front of her as guides. After what seemed like an eternity of blindness, she saw dusty light pouring from the foliage's end several feet away. Thankful then, the brightly colored girl's feet carried her to the glows source. Bubblegum paused to peek out from the trees' edge. Her plum eyes peered out into a small circular clearing with a tiny pool of clear water and what appeared to be glowing, white flowers.

Faces turned up to the moons yellow craters, the flowers seemed to be angled in alignment with its radiance. Princess Bubblegum could not help herself as she swiftly ventured out from the twisted trees in a new excited fervor. Almost tripping, her flat caught on a root that had grown crookedly out from the earth as she made her way clumsily to the center of the field. Practically falling to the ground in awe, her knees met the grass-covered dirt and caused not only green stains on her knees, but also two slight indentations in the ground as well. This was way too bananamus to pass up, she had only read about such plants in old encyclopedias, well non-candy based flora. She unfastened her pack and after burrowing through it put the book of poetry off to the side, placing a notebook along with it and lastly took out her royal purple pen. Opening the pad she scribed a lengthy description of the many snowy petals whose centers were graced with vibrant gumdrop blue and met at the ends with the same hue. She noted that their cool green stems where long and often split to bare more then one blossom. The princess was sure that the flowers fed from the moons soft light and would definitely stay to see the suns effect on these same buds. After sketching the blooms form to the best of her ability she set the notes aside. Leaning back she allowed her elbows touch the ground as she attempted to relax into a reclining position. Her mind continued to spin with an interest in the plant life around her, but was suddenly assaulted with the recent events that had unfolded: her departure, how she was going to survive and just about everything else she could mange to think about. Her body fidgeted, the purple and dark sapphire sky littered with tiny dotted stars was beautiful, but did nothing to distract her from the unease building once again inside her small frame. Sitting up Bubblegum hurriedly reached for the volume of poetry, flipping it open to random page she read aloud the passage that greeted her worried expression.

"In nightfall she plays

With charred skull and bone,

Versed in horrors ways

Tittering with child's tone 

Deceased little girl

Why do you still walk,

Skin now like a pearl

Greying with dark lock 

Dreaded little imp

Perilous darling,

Most walk with a limp

But lonely starling 

Heed us do not near

No chance is given,

We know what we fear

For bloodlust is driven"

The bubblegum monarch's ribcage seemed to lighten with these verses, but grow heavy in the same instance. It was not as though the words were pleasant because she knew they most certainly were not, but they just seemed so strangely familiar. Her free hand drifted back into her pocket where it rested atop the tarnished charm. Her pink skin tingled in a bizarre sensation that she seemed to recognize though she knew not why. It was a strange feeling she had only experienced two other times in her short life: Once in the dead of winter when she had forgotten to fasten her window shut and had awakened from a blank sleep to the wind ruffling her curtain softly and another instance when she had paused in midst of brushing her hair to gaze through the mirror over her shoulder at an bare room. The heavy warmness in her chest felt like a dream she could not seem to remember. It was a strange combination of enchanted melancholy, which left her weak and confused. The princess would indulge in this emotion because she was unable to force it from her mind. It would have to dissolve on its own like the sugar in her glass beakers at home.

The rest of her short night (early morning) was spent wondering about the poems meaning though little was left to the imagination with "Devils Daughter" etched into the page above it. The princess would finally fall into slumber under the shade of boarding trees after watching the blossoms curl shut with dawns blushing light. Arched into a small ball her knees were pressed against her chest and her hand rested atop the rusted metal, in sleep she appeared childlike, un-plagued. Her worry would be forgotten until moons rise when her excursion would continue and her questions would intensify, but for now she drifted in unperturbed rest.


	8. Preparation

Chapter 8: Preparation

A/N: **Kinda a boring chapter! Sorry but I felt like it was necessary to understand how she is surviving out on her own :3 I promise the next chapter will be more interesting! And get back to the mystery of the poetry book and all that other biz! Review and stuff! **

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Princess Bubblegum's eyelids fluttered open with the sun's setting light. The clearing was flooded in a blood-orange glow, which leaked from slim gaps between the trees as a soft wind rustled the leaves in low whispers. The flowers petals remained securely shut from the fiery sun, and the small dark pond sat still. Sitting in front of the princess's face, the ancient poetry volume lay with her purple notebook under its cover and her pen to its side. These objects eclipsed half of her face from the setting ginger light.

Moving to sit up, a throbbing pain shot up her back; sleeping on the ground was not ideal. Her body ached from the exertion and stress of her travel for the past two nights. As a princess, she was rather, well… 'soft' was a nice way to put it. Her gummy flesh was quite sensitive to the elements and while she definitely was not overweight, her slender frame had no defined muscle to speak of. Frowning, she stared down to her now dirt-covered satin flats and pants. How she wished she could bathe. Bubblegum's stomach gurgled angrily, interrupting her train of thought. How she wished she could eat a real meal. Apparently, a sort of domino effect was taking place because a sudden compulsion to scratch the exposed tops of her feet and hands was met with the girl's great frustration.

"Freaking gumdrops!" The pink monarch cursed tracing over her inflamed skin.

Insects bites formed large welts on almost all of her exposed skin. Thank glob they had not gotten to her face. The amateur scientist would have normally jotted down some reports about these phantom bites, but knew she should prepare to take her leave.

Finally bringing herself to stand, she leaned with a pained expression to search through her bag's contents. She pulled out a hefty, unfilled water bottle with a built-in filter, a pink washcloth, a sugar glass brush with candy wood bristles, a pear, and lastly a roll of toilet tissue. Blushing, she glared down at the roll with a horrified expression. What the almighty glob had she been thinking? She was a princess! Her manner would not allow for such distasteful behavior, she…she- really needed to go. Swallowing her pride, she quickly grabbed the tissue before rushing to bordering shrubs to finish the uncomfortable task. The duchess would have felt faint, and while this idea pleased the princess this action most certainly did not. Emerging from the brush, she threw the roll back into her pack, wishing she would never have to experience the degradation of this action again, but knowing full well she would daily. This was just awful.

Resisting the strong urge to itch her burning hands and feet, Bubblegum collected the items she had pulled from her bag only moments before. Her feet carried her to the ponds murky edge where she knelled down to fill her self-filtering bottle (of her own creation, of course). After she had taken a long thirsty swig, her expression shifted to one of inquiry. It tasted metallic, which was not completely disagreeable, but not something actively she sought out. Making a mental note of the filters flavor downfalls, she reached for the pink cloth at her side and wetted it with the bottle's clean liquid. Starting with her face, she washed the dust from her beneath her dark pink bangs and moved down her cheeks to her sticky neck. Wringing out the soiled rag she again poured filtered water on to its absorbent surface and after slipping off her shoes rested the damp cloth across feet. The cool, moist towel brought some relief to the pink monarch's throbbing, prickling feet, but not much, either way she continued. She began working the brush through her sticky locks collecting small leaves, rough pebbles and sticks. She really needed to powder her skin and hair to decrease their adhesive qualities, but would get to that in a moment. Pulling the brush through her hair she finished her regimented; (exactly) one hundred and two strokes. Even when she was finally free the princess could not help but stick to some bogus schedule. Really though, what was wrong with her? She needed to unwind, Bubblegum could be who she wanted out here. For once she did not have to be perfect, she thought reclining back on clothed elbows as she rested her hand atop the pears smooth skin. Sighing she took the pear and held it to her chapped lips. The girl could not bring herself to truly believe her own thoughts. Sinking her teeth into the firm, tasteless fruit, her expression grew bitter.

Princess Bubblegum's eyes focused on the white flowers as the suns light began to dissolve to a light salmon then a middle indigo, before falling to a dark blue. The petals had slowly untwisted and gently tumbled open with the moon's silver light. This fellow planet was no longer great and golden, but had returned to the smaller lonely white sphere. This was the princess's cue to slip her shoes back on and return all the toiletries to her purple backpack. Taking the last several bites of the sour fruit in one mouthful, she stood, swallowing, with an ill face. She then threw the pear's finished core forcefully into the bushes behind the coal colored pond. There was no use in being paranoid now that she had dropped the apple core yesterday. Maybe she should have gone back and searched for it- no, there was no going back now, that would be far too risky. While the banana guards were useless, (which in turn for once aided the princess) the candy elders were not. Those worn-out sweets were actually pretty clever for their outdated age. This fact concerned the teen severely.

After gathering her belongs in the pack, she quickly pulled a palm-sized, ornately designed compact of white powder from a smaller pocket on the bag's side. She lightly dabbed the chalky dust over her tacky skin and hair with a fluffy pink, cotton candy applicator. When she had finished her routine she placed the item back in its appropriate pocket and zipped shut the bags openings. Slipping the hefty thing over her shoulders, she stood shakily, gaping at the darkness of the brush in front of her.

The pink teen glanced down at her wristwatch, which read exactly seven-o-clock. Was it too early to leave the safety of the wood? Bubblegum figured that if she made her way east into the rolling green hills of the grasslands now, she would make her next stop at- wait, what _was_ her next stop? Swiftly turning she bent to seize the poetry book, her notepad, and pen from the yellow dirt floor. Flipping open the purple pad, she thumbed through several note-filled pages before landing on the trade route map she had copied at the farming town's library. Her next destination was a sizable craft city, eighteen miles away. Sheesh…eighteen miles sounded like a lot, but she should be able to cover that in approximately four and half hours. The candy princess had calculated the distance at a leisurely pace (she did not want to strain her body) so that each mile would take about fifteen minutes. Hesitant feet moved forward, carrying her through the dense timber as she clutched the papers to her chest. The foliage dissolved into hilly, empty grass planes, but the princess stood wavering in the trees' safety. Her nervous hand fell to the t-shaped charm in her pocket. This was it, her first night of real travel. Her face grew from uncertain to determined as she stepped boldly into the openness.


	9. Too Much

Chapter 9: Too Much

Collapsing to her knees, Princess Bubblegum reached the center of a new set of closely-knit trees on the outskirts of a large stone-built town. Out of breath, she allowed her heavy pack to tug her onto her side. Eighteen miles without a break…not the brightest idea the princess had formulated. It really was a silly mistake to have not taken into account that the height of each hill differing would make a definite impact on the time it took and the pink girl's energy. With half moon circles gracing the usually rosy areas under her eyes, she wearily looked to her watch. It read exactly one forty-three AM. Allowing the ragged poetry book, pen, and notepad to drop from her fingers, she closed her plum eyes. She was off schedule by two hours and twenty-three minutes precisely. Bubblegum would not have been so late if not for the various difficulties she had encountered during her travel.

The princess had been making great time, her steps were in tune with her exact calculations and landscape seemed serene. Under her feet the prairie curled softly, springing back up as her weight left its green blades. A warm wind sighed over the bumpy land as she strode up and down small slopes, her hand resting atop the pocketed metal. The night sky bore a slightly waning moon and scattered frozen stars, whose shine draped a sliver sheer cloth across the stretched land. The darkness of nightfall had always very much enticed Bubblegum, so she did not fear its obscurity, in fact she found it rather fascinating. This time was something very different from herself, it was something she felt for and not just with mathematical formulas but with a deeper, more emotional side. Illogical sentiments such as this were quiet embarrassing for a royal to have (not exactly a strong trait), so she mostly kept them to her person. What silly feelings she had, not proper at all for a princess-wait, what was she thinking? She gripped the charm firmly in her clammy palm. Here she could feel and think what she wanted! This is what was wrong with the Candy Kingdom, well, at least the royals and court elders. With tension in shoulders and her mind distracting her, feet became confused tripping each other. A surprised needle-pricking sensation swarmed her body as she managed to catch herself successfully. A loud splitting of fabric was accompanied with this near accident. Her eyes fell to the ground, catching view of the torn front of her flat.

"Well gumballs…" She sighed observing her shoe's torn state.

Princess Bubblegum patched up her shoe with not an invention of her own, but instead common Bubbletape Gum, sticky, but she would manage. What was more important was the lost time, fifteen minutes it took, going through her bag and mending the now ruined statin. Trudging up a lofty hill, her purple pack weighed her considerably. Pushing the burning soreness she felt in her calves to the back of her mind, she found herself wondering: What would she do if the Ice King were insane like the candy elders said? Now it was true to say that it was possible to see the disorganized Ice Kingdom from certain windows of the castles massive tower and it was also a fact that snow storms could often be seen raging, but she had never seen the crazed king himself. With this in mind she still worried. If he was a king, why was he never invited to diplomatic events? None of the other stuffy royals referred to him. She had originally heard of the king when she was about twelve from one of her more chatty governesses. Bubblegum may have possibly been eavesdropping, but in polite conversation had overheard her tutor babble on excitedly about the king. She believed it was something about his horrible pick-up lines. Curiously, she had asked the candy elders about the seemly forgotten Ice King and was met with an unexpectedly aggressive response. They demanded to know the source of her knowledge and she, fearing punishment, answered promptly. She remembered that after she had divulged her information one of the elders, a rather stale chocolate pretzel, had her face the wall with her nose pressed against its sugary surface. Then placing two thick manuscripts on magic atop her head harshly told her to repeat: 'The Ice King is a vulgar excuse for a king and I shall never speak of him'. She had to balance those bull-gunk books for a good twenty minutes before he sent her away to her studies. Grimacing, she recalled the sharp pinch she felt in her neck for at least a week after. Obliviously that teacher was fired immediately and replaced with a grumpy cupcake, who in turn taught her about the wonders of magic…yeah, right. She would just have to hope he was sane enough to tell her what she needed to know about the Mushroom War. Bubblegum's stomach rumbled angrily and her body grew heated. Flip. Flipping Flippers. She was already starving and she had already eaten once that night. Ignoring her hunger, she eventually reached the top of the green peak. A warm, early fall breeze blew against her sweating brow and closing her eyes she exhaled fully. The pink princess stifled the terrible candy curse she nearly uttered as her eyelids revealed several taller hills in front of her. This night would be a long one.

By the time she had past the several vast hills, down into a kind of small valley and made it through a couple patches of thick, thorny shrubberies, her pink watch read nine thirty nine PM. Off schedule, the princess attempted to move at a faster pace, but the heavy pack weighing her allowed for only small movements. Her sugary perspiration had dried to her grimy skin, causing a strange kind of film to form on her body. She longed to shower. The princess was used to bathing daily, like most she would hope. At some point tonight or tomorrow though she had decided that she would at least find a way to change her clothing. Soon a grey, gravel road came into her vision and as she neared it she found her self hesitating for no apparent reason. A strange feeling of unease had nested in her belly as the princess's sense sharpened. She was thankful for this uncertainty when a large cream-colored carriage came tearing down the valley of brush. Quickly driving into an adjacent bush, she watched the carriage fly by, its golden royal candy emblem shining the light of it's own trembling lanterns. The princess had chilled panicky sweats as she waited for the carriages light and rattling to dissipate into the night air. Lingering in the bush, her mind spun wildly. Were they already hot on her trail or where they just passing through to search the Fire Kingdom for her? After forcing her self to believe the latter (because she really had no other choice), she tried to stand from the plant, but found her hair tangled in its dense branches.

"Glob!" She hissed as she struggled to free herself in an anxiety-filled frustration, throwing her book and notes down.

A jagged skyline revealed her destination once she had escaped the clutches of the scratchy shrub and made her way up and out of the tiny valley. It was still somewhat of a far stretch, and the princess knew that, but that did not effect her fearful dash down each hill she met. Blood pumped loudly in her ears, blocking the sound of her rapid breaths. Energized with frenzied adrenalin, she could not focus. The city in front of the candy girl grew bigger with each incline overcome. Its walls were great and solid, made with a thick, grey rock. The buildings that peaked above its walls appeared to be in the same style, and several shimmering orange lamps lit its heavily gated entrance. She would not set foot in that town, if the candy elders were around that is exactly what they would want her to do. Tall groupings of woods surrounded the town, making an excellent hide out for the monarch, but still she worried. Bubblegum could not be caught now after all this work.

So here she rested on a rocky dirt floor, her gummy locks filled once again with twigs and leaves, her skin a mess with scratches and bruises, her clothing tinted with muck and lastly her gooey shoe torn down its seam. Wonderful. Not mention that even when she had arrived she exhausted herself with a paranoid hour walk around the orangewood gathering. She needed the perfect spot and refused to settle for anything less than where she stood now, deep within the timber and away from prying eyes. Seeing that Candy Kingdom carriage had really shaken her up, she wondered if they had any idea of her plans or even what she was looking for. They must have, their reaction proved it. Judging by the fast speed of that candy cart, it was obvious they were frantic and possibly desperate, which made Bubblegum all the more curious and wary. Her entire body ached in protest as she unhooked her shoulders from the backpack's straps and pushed her body to lean against a sturdy stump behind her. Unzipping the bag and grabbing the hefty bottle, she took a drink from the metal-flavored water. Sighing, she reached for the poetry book at her side, ignoring her nauseatingly hungry belly. Flipping through its crumpled pages, she paused on the title "Frozen Air" before going on to read silently under her breathe,

"Strangely broken and blue

Is a man's manic mind,

With long pointed nose too

Thoughts difficult to find

Secluded on a mount

Drifting insanity leaks

From words he may count

But not a true voice speaks

Surely from toxic sky

And magnified metals

His disorder may lie

In frostbitten petals

But such longingly sad

Phrases in clarity

A tenderness once had

Fell out of good charity

Poor soul."

Shutting her eyes she let the book fall shut with a defeated expression. So, it was very possible that this was about the Ice King. Stale marshmallows. Frickin' rotten taffy. What would she do? It was apparent that now she could not just waltz into the Ice Kingdom (not that she had ever planned to be that witless), she had to take more precautions like sour spray, a mint taser or something. Though from the poem, he did not sound hazardous, just lonely…and maybe a little hysterical. So Bubblegum would be okay…she was tough and had the necessary conversational skills. She would be okay.

Soon the candy monarch found her head lulling to the side and lashes too heavy to lift. Her hand had found its way back into the hoodie pocket and held the familiar rusted charm. There was too much to think about. She wanted to research the Great War, the poems and the obliviously sketchy motives that the candy elders held, but her apprehensive emotions kept distracting her. Peculiarly though, her feelings about the artifact she held in her fingers was much like the welcomed gloom she felt for the poem she had read the previous night. It was an acceptable kind of unknowing, which made no sense to her then. Knowledge was power, so how could it be satisfactory for her not to understand? The princesses mind, becoming fuzzy with slumber, managed to mesh both poems together, puzzling and exasperating her. A silly notion for a creature such as the devil's daughter to be found in the same realm as a senseless, frost king, but nonetheless her mind spun on in drained imagining. The land lay sleeping in a sweeping hilled surface, covered by a slowly diminishing sky of midnight blue ink, as the dot of pink on its ground fell under its dreaming spell.


End file.
